Recent viewings

[lester1/2jr]

Hot Summer aka Heisser Somer - East German beach party movie that was featured heavily in "East Side Story" a documentary abuot commie era East German films. Most of them were propaganda but they allowed musicals for some reason for a time. This was my second viewing. I really really like the songs. The movie is okay but the sort of battle of the sexes thing between the guys and girls is a little weird, like they seem to hate each other at some points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bid98YAq-Uc&feature=related

[InformationGeek]

Captain America: I rewatched this recently and found that it still holds up quite well for me.  I still think it is one of the best movies I saw this year.

[JaseSF]

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957): Eerie little sci-fi chiller has a group of scientists investigate a deserted island following the disappearance of the previous group of scientists who were examining the effects of radiation on the island following atomic explosions at sea. Naturally the title creatures eventually and inevitably show up, possessing some rather startling and unexpected qualities.

I really love this cheaply made sci-fi B-movie classic from director Roger Corman. Granted the FX isn't always convincing but I think they work well enough here and there's actually some surprisingly gory, arguably even a little gruesome, sequences. I enjoyed the little unexpected horror twists added to the plot with regards to the powers of the crabs. The scientist characters are only loosely developed but it's nice to see familiar face Russell Johnson on hand not to mention Corman regular Pamela Duncan as female scientist Martha Hunter. The main star here is though is Richard Garland as Hunter's hairy chested love interest although Johnson shows a bit of interest  in Hunter too. This was so much fun and honestly it's one of the best I've enjoyed in quite a while. I could watch movies like this all day long and never get tired of it. **** out of ***** stars.

Children of the Corn (1984): Little kids in the isolated rural farming community of Gatlin, Nebraska are tricked and manipulated into committing evil acts of murder by an evil demonic entity living in the cornfields. A young vacationing couple Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton) end up making a perhaps unwise detour into this little town where sure enough, soon nearly every kid in town is out for their blood. Can they make it out of Gatlin alive or will they be the next sacrifice to "He Who Walks Behind the Rows".

Actually that description makes the movie soon better than it actually is. It's in reality pretty tough slugging. The film's premise here feels way too overlong and dragged out and most of the characters are nasty and unlikable with the exception of the only two innocent kids Job and Sarah. Burt and Vicky, our lead couple, just come across as being plain dumb given the decisions they make in this movie to interject themselves into this small town and are way too slow figuring out what's happening. The movie is gory and unsettling in its subject matter as it does feature killer kids who use whatever weapon is on hand. The appearance of the entity too is a bit disappointing in that we never get a good look at it really. John Franklin as Issac and Courntney Gains as Malachai both give great performances as the leaders of the killer kids but it's not enough to save this from being a chore to sit through. ** out of ***** stars.

National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985): Sequel has the Griswald (somehow respelled from Griswold) family clan winning a vacation across Europe; getting into more misadventure as they travel to England, France, Germany and Rome.

This sequel was a tad disappointing given there was no real appearance of bizarre extended Griswald family to shake and liven things up a bit. There are a lot of familiar faces here who show up in some of the film's funnier bit roles including Eric Idle as a Bike Rider whom Clark accidentally bumps into, John Astin as game show host Kent Winkdale, Robbie Coltrane as an unexpected bathroom visitor and Maureen Lipman as the lady in the bed. Each place they visit seems to feature a few funny bits, mainly physical gags or gags that make fun of the Griswalds lack of being able to understand any language but English. There's also a couple of extended chase sequences in the German and Rome portions of the movie. But really this film feels rather like a combination of different shorts just pasted together to make a whole film with the basic underlying element tying them together being Clark's inability to listen to the wants and needs of his own family if they interfere with his own plans. It's a tad less offensive than the first film although this actually features a bit more nudity I'd say. Overall it was pretty funny and I think I like the kids best in this version but it's really nothing great or extraordinary. *** out of ***** stars.

The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967): Buffoonish Professor Abronsius (Jack McGrowan) and his clumsly, hapless frequently lovesick assistant Alfred (Roman Polanski) work together to try and save a damsel in distress (Sharon Tate) who seems to have fallen prey to a suspected vampire named Count von Krolock (Ferdy Mayne) who's whisked her off to his castle hideaway. Other notable characters here include the Jewish inn-keeper Shagal (Alfie Bass), the Count's son Herbert (Iain Quarrier) who seems to have a little too much interest in Alfred, the Count's hunchback servant Koukol (Terry Downes) and Magda, the Maid (Fiona Lewis) who Shagal has a little too much interest in to please his rather broad wife Rebecca (Jessie Robins).

One thing you cannot say is that this film is dull. It's non-stop amusement from beginning to end as bizarre as it sometimes seems to get. Polanski and McGrowan are both surprisingly good as the humorous leads, Tate provides the eye candy while Mayne, Downes, Quarrier and even Bass play the film's over the top vampires/monsters. This was a lot of fun and very fast-moving. Great stuff. **** out of ***** stars.

Three Men and a Little Lady (1990): Romantic comedy has confused Sylvia (Nancy Travis) and Peter (Tom Selleck) as two people in love who somehow cannot seem to let one another know. Sylvia wanting more than sharing her life with three platonic male friends who help raise her daughter Mary (Robin Weisman), one of whom happens to be her biological father, decides to accept the marriage proposal of her director Edward (Christopher Cazenove), who loves her but unknown to her has little love for children, and moves to England with Mary. Peter, Michael (Steve Guttenberg) and Jack (Ted Danson) however sense that's something's not right here and soon follow Mary and Sylvia to England hoping to set things straight.

Actually this wasn't too bad at all as far as sequels go. Heck, it could have been a whole lot worse. Honestly I felt this a good romantic comedy that has some fun laughs going for it too. I really liked Fiona Shaw as Miss Elspeth Lomax, the head of a boarding school for English girls who becomes infatuated with Peter. This moves pretty well are was a pleasant little surprise. Will likely appeal to the ladies more than the gents but is passable (tolerable) enough of its type. *** out of ***** stars.

[Couchtr26]

Captain America: I rewatched this recently and found that it still holds up quite well for me.  I still think it is one of the best movies I saw this year.

I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.  However, I do wish the opening was a bit faster paced.  Other then that great film. 

I've been trying to watch Brazil but always seem to fall asleep about 30 minutes in to the movie.  The sad thing is that I am interested in the movie.  I just can't figure out why I fall asleep 30 minutes in and then miss most of the rest. 

[lester1/2jr]

Love: the Forever Changes concert - This isn't from the 60's it's a recent thing where he and muscians perform the album. kind of like the Brian Wilson thing. I had never heard Forever Changes and am going to check it out now. The first word that comes to my mind is "interesting" the songs are kind of like Scott Walker ish orchestral pop with a west coast feel. very unique 4/5

[Ted C]

Black Death (2010) - I checked this out on NetFlix streaming. I wasn't too thrilled with it. I won't go into plot details as I'm just not too interested in doing so. My main takeaway was that it seemed like a movie that was trying to have a message of some kind, but I couldn't figure out what it was. 2.5/5

Saw it last night. I rather liked it. The message seems to be that religion and superstition do strange things to people: most of them bad.

[JaseSF]

Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964): The Hammer Mummy films don't really follow each other, each is kind of its own entity. Of them, the original 1959 film is by far the best. Still I have to admit to having some fondness for this one even though it's a bit slow getting going and the Mummy doesn't really factor into the action until well towards the end. The plot basically has showman Alexander King (Fred Clark) deciding to ignore the wishes of those who want to maintain the relics from the royal Egyptian tomb of Prince Ra and instead wanting to display the mummy and its artifacts in a sort of traveling road sideshow. This angers the Egyptians and may well unleash a curse upon those who dared enter and disturb the tomb! There's also a rather interesting love triangle between Annette Dubois (Jeanne Roland) and two suitors - one of the heads of the expedition John Bray (Ronald Howard) and the wealthy adventurer Adam Beauchamp (Terence Morgan) that really takes up most of the film's running time . The Mummy when it finally does get on the loose seeking vengeance doesn't really disappoint although it is a bit strange it seems to breathe heavy constantly rather like Michael Myers while in pursuit of its next victim and he looks a little on the chubby side in the middle. Lots of gory scenes involving hands getting chopped off as well although they're usually far from convincing. Those impatient for action would probably find this a bit tough to get through as it really doesn't take off until the Mummy finally factors into the action. There's another unexpected surprise or two towards the end as well. All in all, not bad fun for Halloween themed viewing but the 1959 Mummy film would probably make the best choice. *** out of ***** stars.

Not of This Earth (1957): The other Corman B-movie cheapie from 1957 that was originally paired with Attack of the Crab Monsters. This was, like Monsters, surprisingly good. In fact, it's probably an even better film than that one. A mysterious man with strange eyes who we soon learn is not of this earth seeks out the blood of earthlings for some unknown purpose as well as later selecting certain people to be specimens on his home world.

This stars Paul Birch as the mysterious alien Paul Johnson, B-Movie Queen Beverly Garland looking quite lovely as Johnson's personal nurse Nadine who also shows off her figure here a time or two, Morgan Jones as Nadine's love interest/cop boyfriend Harry Sherbourne, Jonathan Haze as Johnson's personal servant/chaffeur Jeremy and William Roerick as Dr. F.W. Rochelle - a doctor who learns perhaps a bit too much about Mr. Johnson. Also memorable here is Dick Miller in a brief bit as a vacuum cleaner salesman and a weird looking alien critter brought to life by Paul Blaisdell. Another fun B-movie classic from Roger Corman, it's actually far better than any of its remakes and perhaps even influenced a few other films as well. Good stuff. A great way to pass a little bit over an hour on Halloween.  ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Halloween (1978): Yeah, the original slasher featuring Micheal Myers who escapes the lunatic asylum after 15 years and heads back to Haddonfield apparently hoping to reenact the evil act he committed on Halloween night as a six year old stalking an whole new grouo of victims including Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her friends Annie (Nancy Loomis) and Linda P.J. Soles). Hot on his trail is her psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) hoping to stop him before he kills again.

Cannot imagine going an Halloween without watching this John Carpenter classic and was happy to get it in again this year. Actually noticed Myers in the background more than I ever had before even though I've seen this multiple times by this point. A classic in suspense, this film cleverly builds and builds to an intense climax that's thoroughly involving it's hard to take one's eyes off the action even when one wants to. Music, lighting and atmosphere add immeasurably to the feel of things and this remains IMO the best film of its type to this day. ***** out of ***** stars, especially on Halloween.

Trilogy of Terror (1975): Three suspenseful stories, each more terrifying than the last and each starring actress Karen Black, from the writings of Richard Matheson, are adapted here. Each story is named for the roles played by Black. The first Julie features a teacher who is stalked and then terrorized by her student only things aren't quite as they appear, the second pits two sisters; the repressed spinster Millicent and her lecherous and seductive sister Therese, against one another only again things aren't quite as they appear. The final focuses on a young woman named Amelia, finally out from under the thumb of her domineering mother enjoying freedom for the first time who makes the mistake of buying an African tribal doll, a thing of evil that later comes to life and stalks her in her apartment.

You got to love the twists in these stories and personally to me, they call to mind "The Twilight Zone" perhaps not surprising given the writer. By far the best of these stories is Amelia with the Zuni fetish doll and it's also by far the most memorable and suspenseful. Black gets a chance to show off her beauty as Therese but also gets a chance to show a far different side in the roles of Millicent and Julie. Good stuff all around and a great pick for Halloween viewing although the last story far outshines the previous two. *** out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

Haunted Forest (2007) - Three friends (the typical movie types who don't really like each other) go into a forest to investigate an ancient Indian burial ground.  Much to everyone's surprise, the tree-witch of the woods starts trying to kill them.  It's a veritable plethora of jump scares as one thing after another is shoved unexpectedly in front of the camera, accompanied by loud music cues.  I dunno, I guess it does manage to establish somewhat of a tense atmosphere.  There's a pretty girl in it, but she unfortunately has a rather small role.  It made me laugh at times, gets a bit cheesy.  Oh well, not a bad waste of a Wednesday evening.  3/5.

[lester1/2jr]

fear in the night - alpha video noir type cheapie. It starts off kind of Outer Limits-y and cool but the magic runs out and it ends up being just a decent crime drama.
3.5/5
I liked it better than..

Neanderthal man- Cheezyflicks released this and I don't really know why. It's a solid but not interesting mad scientist movie. The monster is forgettable, so are the girls.

3/5

[JaseSF]

Halloween II (1981): yeah watched this sequel yet again. My girlfriend wanted to give it another watch as she usually likes the Michael Myers flicks. The film takes off where the original Halloween ended and shows some initial promise, even if the guy in the mask how looks a bit different from the first film?! It has its moments but is a lot less suspenseful and much more an out and out slasher film with Myers here making all kind of unique kills aside from his usual knife method as he stalks through an hospital in search of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) with Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) still on his trail. It's all full of flaws in logic and the premise of Myers stalking through an hospital seems to be dragged and dragged out to a ridiculous extreme and leaves one wondering why Myers takes so long to find Laurie? Why other times he seems to appear as almost out of nowhere? Why the hospital is so empty? Etc. etc. Still the film was watchable enough, established some key story elements in the series although it probably should have ended here. **1/2 out of *****

Rear Window (1954): A well travelled photographer named L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) who's had his share of adventure on the job finds himself sidelined with a broken leg. Now having little else to occupy his time stuck in a wheelchair, he spies on his neighbours and eventually comes to suspect frighteningly enough that one of them may have committed murder! Only can he convince anyone else, be it girlfriend Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly) or detective Thomas J. Doyle (Wendell Corey) of his suspicions.

This unique Alfred Hitchcock thriller is an old favourite of mine. You've got Jimmy Stewart, the beautiful Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey and Raymond Burr! There's action, romance, thrills, chills and suspense. And there's even an examination of our fascination, our desire to know the where, whats and whos of our neighbours' lives. This one is fascinating and feels full of little stories within a story. **** out of ***** stars.

[bob]

I really enjoyed this, I loved the violence and the comedy in it as well

5/5



The Godfather

5/5

it's a masterpiece and has aged greatly

The Godfather Part 2

5/5 see above

The Godfather Part 3

3/5

it's nowhere nearly as good as the first 2 in but few films ever are

it suffered from the horribleness of Sofia Coppola, lack of some characters from the first 2 films most notably Tom especially after saying in Godfather 2 he'd stick with the family

[indianasmith]

After a solid home run (see my post on GRAVE ENCOUNTERS) earlier this week, I went to the old Hasting's well three more times.  Here's the rundown:

GREY SKIES: A group of 30something college friends meet at a remote cabin in the woods to spend the weekend hanging out and getting stoned.  Aliens abduct them and replace them one by one with lookalikes.  Fairly cool alien effects, very unlikable characters, some nudity, not much gore.  Good if you are really bored.

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED: A fun documentary about U.S. filmakers in the Philippines and the movies they created from the 1950's to the early 80's.  Lots of great interviews with B-movie legends, American and Filipino.  Copious nudity, lots of cheesey monsters, and laughable gore effects.  A must for B-movie fans.

BIKINI GIRLS ON ICE:  Ugggghhh.  Yes, the girls were in bikinis, and yes, they were good looking.  That's about all you can say for this one.  A group of college girls on their way to a bikini car wash for charity are stranded at a remote gas station when their bus breaks down, and one by one are murdered by a growling, psychotic gas station attendant.  No backstory, no explanations.  Just a grunting, groaning killer and a bunch of screaming babes and a few college guys.  And several thousand ice cubes.  It seems as if the director came up with an idea, and hired a screenwriter about one day before he began filming.  Atrocious.  And, yes, the bikinis stay on throughout the film, with only one exception.

[claws]

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Blu-ray

*gasp* First time viewing. Why it took me 17 years I do not know. I'm so glad I finally watched this. Great, great movie. Left me with wet eyes 

[dean]

MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED: A fun documentary about U.S. filmakers in the Philippines and the movies they created from the 1950's to the early 80's.  Lots of great interviews with B-movie legends, American and Filipino.  Copious nudity, lots of cheesey monsters, and laughable gore effects.  A must for B-movie fans.

If you like that one, watch their previous documentary 'Not Quite Hollywood'.  Its essentially the same thing but for Australian films in the 70s and 80s, with films like Mad Max etc.  Its alot of fun and involves many of the same filmmakers from Machete Maidens.



For me I just watched Drive which was a very well done film.  For a film with not much dialogue and slow pacing it really amped things up well right at the end.  Makes me want a Scorpion jacket and driving gloves...  One of my favourites of the year so far!

I also went to a late night screening of Ghostbusters last week at a local cinema which was an absolute blast.  I'd forgotten how much I loved that film.

[Rev. Powell]

ZENITH (2010): In the near future, life is so easy and pleasant that people seek out illegal drugs that cause pain; meanwhile, a drug-dealer uncovers tapes made by his ex-priest conspiracy theorist father that suggest something called "Zenith" is controlling society.  Some good, interesting ideas but the execution is so confused that the movie never gets in a groove, then skips the track entirely with a tired twist ending.  2/5 for good intentions.